The treatment of water in pools, hot tubs, spas, aquariums and the like, is required to ensure that various qualities and parameters, such as chemical, physical and biological characteristics, are within given acceptable ranges. When a given chemical, physical and biological characteristic falls outside these acceptable ranges the water quality can be considered to be “poor”. It is then necessary for the water to be treated. The water is treated to prevent someone, or something, becoming unwell from exposure. The water may additionally or alternatively be treated to prevent it from becoming imbalanced, etc, whereby the imbalanced water may otherwise cause degradation to the infrastructure, such as pipes and concrete, of the pool. The water can be treated in a number of ways, including chemical dosing, irradiation, filtration, etc.
To determine whether various chemical, physical and biological characteristics are within the acceptable ranges, it is generally necessary to perform tests on the water. The type of test required generally depends on the characteristic being tested. Testing, interpretation and correlation of the results can be quite complicated, and it is often necessary to have a professional analyse the results to determine the best procedure for treatment of the water to improve its quality.
One manner of testing water quality utilises so-called test strips. A test strip is placed in the water and removed after a pre-determined time. The test strip will usually have one or more sections, usually in the form of one or more indicator pads attached thereto, that are adapted to react to different characteristics of the water. Each indicator pad on the test strip measures a different characteristic of the water. For example, one indicator pad may test for pH and another indicator pad for total hardness. Each indicator pad will change colour after it has been submerged in the water for a predetermined time, depending on the levels of the characteristic in the water. The colours on the indicator pads are then compared with the colours on a reference chart to determine the levels of the characteristic in the water. It is then necessary to determine what the ‘ideal’ level of the characteristic should be, and the type of corrective action required to alter the levels of the characteristic in the water. For example, a test strip may have one indicator pad for testing pH. The pH indicator pad will change colour, when placed in the water. The extent of the colour change will be dependent on the pH of the water. The pad is compared with a reference chart to determine the pH. Once the current water pH is determined, it is then necessary for the user to determine whether the pH is higher or lower than the acceptable boundaries, the chemical that should be used to alter the pH in the appropriate direction (i.e. either increase or decrease the pH), and how much of the chemical should be dosed into the pool. This is quite a complicated procedure.
Due to the process of testing and then determination of the correct dosage, maintenance of a swimming pool can be quite difficult to upkeep. US 2006/0081810, U.S. Pat. No. 7,309,444 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,238 all disclose solid water treatment tablets for use in pools and spas, etc. Once the tablets are introduced to the pool or spa, they begin to dissolve and release the chemical at a specific rate. Some contain more than one chemical, and some control the rate of release of the chemical (i.e. the amount of time it takes for the chemical to finish being released).
The above references to the background art do not constitute an admission that the art forms a part of the common general knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The above references are also not intended to limit the application of the products and method as disclosed herein.